Trent Lott: “I agree with that part of it. It is a sorry mess. We have gotten into gridlock. And there are lots of explanations for…”

“I agree with that part of it. It is a sorry mess. We have gotten into gridlock. And there are lots of explanations for that. I don't think we should start blaming one Senator or one side or the other. But I wanted to commend the Senator from California for the efforts that I was under the impression she had been making with Senator Hatch and others, perhaps on both sides of the aisle, to come up with a bill much different from what is before us--smaller, probably, by $100 billion, with all the components that would really be needed. I want to remind the Senate that I have given a lot of time and a lot of personal effort and have taken a lot of flak for trying to find a way to get a bill through here that was responsible enough that we could choke it down in a reasonable period of time, and we are not there. And I cannot figure any way to get a bill that would be credible that we could get through here. In fact, when we have had some critical votes, they went the wrong way.”